A Single Encounter
by saturnssons
Summary: Elizabeth and Darcy drabble. Just a slight AU with the encounter between Elizabeth and Darcy at his Pemberley Estate. What if instead of finding Georgiana playing the piano, she encountered it alone and then decided to play it herself, only then to discover she was not alone?
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth knew that she should not have moved forward. Standing on the edge of an ornately decorated room within Darcy's Pemberley residence, Lizzy gazed longingly at the pianoforte in the centre of the room. It had been gilded around its surface, and almost appeared to shimmer in the sunlight that came bursting through the window adjacent to where she stood. If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough, she could imagine the beautiful notes that might arise out of such an instrument.

She abruptly thought back to that time with Darcy, not so long ago, when Lady Catherine had all but forced her to play the pianoforte for her and her company. She remembered the rush of chagrin that flooded her cheeks, as she felt Darcy's strong gaze on her. His gaze seemed to follow her every step as she unwillingly sat down at the instrument. Lizzy knew her skills at the pianoforte were rather terrible, as she never cared to invest in lessons. However then, with the eyes of Darcy firmly on her, she wished for a brief moment that she had given more thought to the notion.

Still, she had been ordered to play for her company and so play she did. The notes flitted quietly across the room, with Lizzy trying to cover up her severe ineptitude at playing by placing her fingers softly against the keys. Once she began to play, she felt the tension dissipate from her body. The notes that she stumbled over did not appear to bother her anymore either, even after Darcy had approached her and stood stoically before her.

"You mean to frighten me Mr. Darcy by coming in all your state to hear me. But I won't be alarmed, even if you're sister does play so well." She smirked after these words, though Darcy was quick to rebuke her efforts.

"I am well enough acquainted with you Miss Elizabeth to know that I cannot alarm you even if I wish it."

Elizabeth snorted softly and continued to play the melody as it swiftly reached its crescendo. Darcy was so close; Lizzy swore she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Suddenly, she was brought back into the present. She was no longer with Mr. Darcy, but standing alone in his estate, mulling over how she believed her performance was received by him. Not that she would admit to such a fact, but Lizzy had been encouraged to practice the song she had played that night. She had practiced that single tune many times that she now knew it better than any other.

With great caution, Lizzy stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She sat down at the pianoforte and gently placed her fingertips against the ivory keys. They were cool on her skin, and smoother than any material she had ever felt before.

Her hands glided across the keys with an unmistakable confidence, each note playing perfectly in succession. The music folded together in a perfect sequence as Lizzy smiled to herself. The pianoforte was even more beautiful than she had ever imagined.

Behind her, the sudden sound of footsteps was unmistakable and Lizzy shot up from the pianoforte in terror. Standing before her was a very bewildered Darcy.

"I…I am so sorry to intrude…"

Despite the obvious confusion in his face, Darcy did not seem vexed at her being there. Lizzy swore she saw his eyes soften at the edges as he stepped into the room.

"That piece…you played that for my aunt at Rosings…" He smiled kindly at her, as if his mind temporarily went to another place.

"It sounds beautiful. The song you just played." Lizzy nodded.

"I had no right…"

Darcy was quick to cut her off.

"I have taken no offence. Such an instrument is simply begging to be played."

Lizzy knew there was nothing she could say to salvage the situation. What could she have possibly said to the man she had recently rejected, in the most venomous manner, to justify why she was now intruding in his home.

And so, Lizzy simply fled. She bowed stiffly and before Darcy could say another word she was racing out the doors and back towards the carriage that had taken her to Pemberley in the first place.

_You're a coward_, she thought. _You do not even have the courage to face him._

"Miss Elizabeth!"

Before he could say anything more, she turned to face him.

"They said the house was open for visitors…I had no idea that…" She trailed off, as if her explanation was enough to convince him that she was not totally mad. Perhaps she really was mad, for every time she looked at Darcy, her temperament changed and she felt herself subconsciously orient herself to him.

"Let me accompany you back to the village." He insisted, but Lizzy was already shaking her head before he had finished his sentence.

"I'm very fond of walking." She smiled once more before leaving Darcy in a rather lonesome state.

It was then she knew with absolute certainty, with her back turned towards him, that she had begun to fall for Mr. Darcy.


	2. Chapter 2- Mr Darcy's Encounter

**UPDATE: Since a couple of people were asking about another story from Darcy's POV, I decided to write this scene from his perspective. I really enjoyed writing this one, so any feedback is appreciated :)**

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As Fitzwilliam Darcy strode down the main hall of his Pemberley residence, his mind flitted between thoughts of his dear friend Bingley and Elizabeth. His recent encounter with Bingley in London had not done any favours for Darcy's state of mind. He had falsely believed that putting distance between his friend and the young Jane Bennett would greatly benefit both parties. After all, Jane had seemed indifferent to Bingley, while Bingley fell more and more in love with the blonde beauty as each day passed. Her lack of reciprocation and his willingness to so freely give away his heart were both factors that convinced Darcy that an advantageous marriage would be simply disastrous.

However, he never could have predicted Elizabeth's response when he had confessed his love for her on that stormy day last April. She revealed, rather scathingly, that Jane Bennett did in fact share similar feelings for Bingley and that her true character was seldom showed to those around her.

Despite the rain-soaked clothes and feverish glow to her cheeks, Elizabeth was devastatingly beautiful to Darcy in that moment. While anger quickly took hold of him as she shouted accusation after accusation, he could not help but move his body close to hers. There was little space between their bodies, with electricity seemingly cracking between them. If Darcy had simply leaned forward, just a few inches, his lips would be so close to hers… For a moment he was unaware, or perhaps did not care, that they were arguing. He simply wished to know what her lips would feel like on his. That illusion, however, was soon shattered with the next words that came sharply from her lips:

"From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry."

Never had someone said something so biting, so filled with venom, than in the moment that Elizabeth had spoken honestly with him. Those very words brought Darcy to an utter stand still. All of the remarks, the rebuttals and comments he had on the tip of his tongue simply vanished, for all he felt now was sorrow. Without thinking, he leaned forward to Elizabeth.

"Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of you time." And with that, he left Elizabeth to her own thoughts, unsure if he were to ever see her again.

It had been several months since that encounter, and yet thoughts of Elizabeth still flooded his mind with every waking moment. He wondered if he would ever be free of Elizabeth's charms.

As he moved further down the hallway, Darcy swore he could hear a familiar tune floating from Georgiana's pianoforte.

_Impossible, _Darcy thought, _I was just with my sister in the study._

Thinking that one of the housekeepers had decided to busy themselves with the pianoforte, Darcy slowly approached the room from which the tune played. While he could not place it, Darcy was sure he had heard that tune before.

Just as he went to reach for the door handle to chastise whoever was using his sister's pianoforte, it suddenly occurred to him why that tune was so familiar.

It had been the same tune that Elizabeth had played at Rosing's. While she was by no means a skilled player, the concentrated look in her eyes when her fingers drifted along the keys intrigued and enraptured Darcy.

_Impossible._

Pushing the door open, Darcy saw Elizabeth at the pianoforte, her fingers moving deftly and creating a more harmonious tune than the previous time she had played. Her back was facing him and while the door creaked slightly as it opened, she appeared completely immersed in the tune that his presence went undetected by her.

That is, until Darcy took a single step forward. The notes swiftly came to a halt and Elizabeth all but jumped out of the chair she was sitting in.

When she looked back to see who had found her, her eyes widened at the sight of him. He was sure his own expression mirrored hers, as Darcy tried to make sense of her presence at Pemberley.

"I…I am so sorry to intrude." He wanted desperately to tell her that it was okay, that he did not mind seeing her, even under such awkward and surprising circumstances. He wanted to tell her that seeing her was like seeing the sun rising for the first time; that all it took was her presence to alleviate any worries that consumed Darcy.

Instead, he simply replied: "That piece…you played that for my aunt at Rosing's." He was unsure why he had mentioned that, or even if it was relevant at that moment.

Lizzy only nodded at Darcy, leaving him unsure of what to say. He wanted to keep talking to her; to ask her so many of the burning questions that had accumulated since they had last conversed.

"It sounds beautiful. The song you just played." And it truly did. Even someone as accomplished as his sister had never played a melody so charged with emotion. Darcy wondered what place Elizabeth was playing from, and the thoughts that were going through her head when she had decided to play the piece.

"I had no right…" She protested.

"I have taken no offense." He assured her. "Such an instrument is simply begging to be played."

Elizabeth appeared rather ashamed, as she no longer made eye contact with him. She kept her head bowed rather low, with her hands firmly clasped behind her back.

Just as Darcy was about to propose she join him for lunch with his sister, Elizabeth bowed abruptly then rushed past him. There was still so much left unsaid, so much he needed to convey to her.

Running back down the halls from whence he came, Darcy feared that he had already lost her again. There were so many exists, so many places she could retreat to. He did not know what he would say to her if he were to find her once more, nor if he had anything to say at all. He simply had to reach her.

As he neared the front entrance, he saw the door had been left slightly ajar. Once outside, he called out to Elizabeth and watched as she steadily came to a halt at her carriage.

When she turned to face him, she looked as if she might break into tears.

"They said that the house was open to visitors…I had no idea." She tried to smile but from Darcy's view, it did not seem genuine. Had he frightened her so badly that she could barely stand to be in his presence?

"Let me accompany you back to the village."

She shook her head. "I'm very fond of walking."

And with that, she turned away from him once more and walked past the carriage, toward the village. Every instinct was telling Darcy to call out to her, to say something else.

Instead, he simply watched her walk away, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to stop loving Elizabeth Bennett.


End file.
